GOA - INDIA - PONDICHERY - MACAO.

A few years preceding the invasion and conquest of Goa by Nehru’s "serkar" (I say conquest because according to the landmark judgment of the Supreme Court of India, on 19^th December 1961, Goa was conquered by India.  Hence, the word Liberation is wrong), especially during the tenure of last Portuguese Governador Vassalo e Silva, Goa was booming and flourishing with all round development.  Common man was happy because Vassalo e Silva introduced lot of developmental changes in Goa.  To give a sense of dignity to the students he stopped corporal punishment in schools for the students.  Earlier, teachers were thrashing the students like Buffalos especially if the student is coming from low category.   To spread education to all the segments of Goan society especially for the socially lower rung students, he made primary education in Portuguese compulsory for all children attaining the age of six, of course free of charge. And those who wanted to pursue higher professional education in Portugal, educational loan facilities were given to the students by the Goa government.  To spread the gospel of education, he issued order to build Portuguese Primary Schools in every village. His wish was to make every Goan adequately educated.  Then, after creating appropriate climate, he gave a call to Gulf Goans willing to return to Goa for job, to come back with a promise to provide them with the necessary employment in Goa, for English educated in the Mining sector and for Portuguese educated in the government departments.  Heeding this call some Goans working at Qatar Oil Company left their jobs, returned to Goa and got employed in Goa.

Then he embarked on creating avenues for Goans to get employment especially for the Portuguese educated Goans and this move was making a very good progress. Then he made easy availability thru market reforms, of the goods and commodities for the common man like two and four wheelers and electronic gadgets.  Expensive and luxury goods started flowing into the hands of common man.  The prices of food items were brought down thru his personal intervention so that common man could afford best of food. To check the prices of food items, in Panjim market as a common "Paklo" he was moving all by himself in civilian dress.  Agriculture was given a strong boost even by providing the affected farmers with necessary requirements to carry on with their farming uninterrupted. When in my village once Saline water entered the paddy fields, he personally came to inspect the affected paddy fields by interacting with the “Kaxtticar” farmers to the chagrin of Bamon Bhattkarshai.  His wish was to elevate the standard of "Bahujan Samaz" and in this direction he was moving speedily.

During this time itself when Goa was doing all round progress, according to my source, Nehru got the smell that Goa is progressing at a fastest pace and if India wants to acquire Goa, this will be the only ripe time when Goa was still  progressing.  If India delays invasion of Goa for later on then even ordinary Goan would oppose invasion because by that time even the last strata of Goan would be developed and would not like to be a part of corrupt and filthy country India under the corrupt Indian leaders.  Hence the military invasion of Goa started on 17^th December and at that particular moment on 18th December 1961, UN discussed this topic and commanded India not to move an inch further into Goa till this topic is discussed and settled amicably.  In the ensuing Security Council Vote, 7 countries including US, UK, France, China voted against invasion of Goa but Russia, Ceylon and other two tiny countries voted in favour of invasion of Goa.  Since Russia wielded Veto power, the resolution went in favour of invasion.  Thus Goa was hurriedly robbed from Goans by India to convert it into a colony of India  or a brothel of India or a part of Maharastra since the big stalwarts of Congress Party in Maharastra were keeping their eyes on Goa, Y. B. Chawan and V.P. Naik were two of them.  As a punishment for Nehru’s Congress for illegally invading Goa without taking Goans into confidence, in the first general election, Congress Party of Nehru was totally voted out by the Goans.  Such a humiliating defeat Congress never got anywhere in India.

If Goa is saved till today, we must thank Governador Vassalo e Silva for not executing Salazar’s order of destroying Goa fully to the ashes instead of giving Goa on silver platter to India.  If Goa is intact till today, we must pray for Vassalo e Silva and also the then Portuguese Patriarch of Goa who impressed upon Vassalo e Silva not to follow the diktats of Portuguese dictator Salazar. It was their Christian principles that made them to act the way they acted.  This is the greatness of Christianity. Thru their decision they saved not only minority Christians but also majority Hindus.  A few days before the invasion of Goa, the way Bombs were implanted all over Goa by the Portuguese it was really horrible. May the Christian souls of both these Portuguese stalwarts rest in peace.   

Like Goa, Pondichery in South India was also colonized not by the Portuguese but by the French and it was given freedom not in 1947 but in 1954.  It took many years after independence in 1947 for India to claim possession of Pondichery from France officially and legally.  At the time of surrender of Pondichery to India in a treaty and agreement signed by the French Foreign Minister and Nehru of India, a number of Clauses were put by the French government to safeguard the rights of the citizens of Pondichery and all these clauses were accepted by the same Nehru who promised mountains to Goans but none given.  It took long years of negotiations for India and France to agree on these clauses and then only France agreed to hand over Pondichery to India.  While Pondicherians were given all the rights and facilities to safeguards their interest by Nehru, Goans were totally neglected because Goa is a precious place for India.  For this reason India robbed Goa in the name of fake lliberation.

Take the case of Macao, another colony of Portugal.  When it was given to China by the Portuguese government, both the countries Portugal and China negotiated for long years the clauses for transfer of power.  Like Pondicherians, Macao citizens were also given lot of facilities and rights.  It is almost like an independent country now except that its sovereignty comes under China.  There is no high command in Beijing for Macao, all the decisions are taken in Macao only. And to get all these facilities, Portuguese government worked hard to convince China to agree. 

While Portugal at the time of transfer of power of Macao to China protected the rights of Macao citizens, the same assurance was not given to Goans at the time of officially  and legally handing over Goa to India in 1974.  Before the transfer of Macao to China, Portugese took Macao citizens into confidence and then only transferred the power to China.  But at the time of negotiating of officially transferring of power of Goa to India in New York in 1974, only the two persons – foreign ministers of India and Portugal – decided what is good and what is bad for Goans without even consulting Goans.  Mario Soares was the foreign minister of Portugal and it was he who gave Goa on silver platter to India on behalf of Portugal.  When the final agreement was signed in the same year in Delhi by both the leaders,  there was nothing for Goans thus Portugal also robbed Goans of their rights and previlleges and because of this we are now suffering in Goa as orphans.

India does not care for our rights and sentiments. Special Status will never be given to Goa inspite of the lies given by Modi and Parricar.  In the next election in 1922 there is a possibility of non-Goans to form government in Goa because majority of residents in Goa will be non-Goans then and because of their harsh and cruel nature they will even massacre Goans if we do not toe their line, just as Jews did  for Palestinians in the occupied Palestine.  Our situation will be very pitiable. Our freedom fighters who suffered so much to get rid of Portuguese from Goa will never be able to help us.  They are dead issue now only. We have to forget them to do anything good for Goa and Goans.  They are happy with their Tamrapatras and Pensions that Indian government gave them.

In this scenario, is everything lost for us? No, never. With some hope, we have to tell our woes to the current generation and see if we can get a new leadership from them to fight peacefully for our rights, if necessary by approaching even UN, if possible. UN Charter gives certain facilities to the indigenous people who are facing a disguised genocide in Goa. Global Goans can think over this issue because they are in better position to make their voice more audible.  If possible we must conduct a hunger strike in front of Portuguese Consulate in Panjim to make Portugal aware of our sentiments and of the  mistake they did by ignoring us at the time of transferring of power of Goa to India.  Side by side, we must conduct peaceful “dharna” in Delhi to make Delhi “babus” aware of our grievances because our case is totally different. We were not Indian citizens till 1961/62 but we were made Indian citizens by force by Indian “dadageri”. By doing this much we may not get anything but by sleeping at home will we get something?     

 

A. Veronica Fernandes,

Candolim, Goa.

Tel: 6507394349.

 

SINFUL TIATRISTS - VULGAR TIATRISTS.

While in Kuwait I was promoting Tiatros along with my other colleagues. Many times we used to bring Tiatrists from Goa to participate in our Shows in Kuwait and while in Kuwait they used to stay at my place in Kuwait City.  Among these Tiatrists there were males and females and couples too.  There was during one particular time a Tiatrist couple and as per my knowledge it was a legally wedded couple because they already had one son.  During their one week stay at my place I gave them all the facilities and treated them with high respect befitting their marital status. Thinking that they are a married couple I even gave them one full independent room of my Flat.

Within a few hours of their going back to Goa, somebody a Tiatrist only told me that they are both unmarried adulterous couple and giving them a shelter in my house I  realized that it was a sinful act. But this sin I committed without knowing the correct fact.  I knew that there are such rackets rampantly flourishing among Tiatrists and precisely because of this in the past the image of Tiatrists was affected.  Even currently the image of Tiatrists in general is not very good even though on the Stage they are adored by the people including the rotten apples.  This does not mean that there are no good character Tiatrists.  Some of my best friends are Tiatrists males and females whose character is excellent and I am proud of their friendship. 

Coming back to the adulterous Tiatrist couple stayed at my place, with a heavy burden of guilt on my head, I approached a Priest in Kuwait Church explaining the entire episode and requested him to bless my Flat with special prayers and Holy Water which he did. Then only I felt relieved of the guilt burden lying on my head because of this adulterous Tiatrist couple.  For them it is nothing because their “Khandan” is like that but for me having my character and discipline it was something unimaginable.  What a disgrace is it for a wives deserter Tiatrist to live with a “Ghanttin” concubine and produce an illegitimate child; moreover still acting on the Stage and moving in society shamelessly?  What good this type of Tiatrists impart to the audience from the Stage? What role model such Tiatrists will be for the public?  Such artistes are a disgrace on Tiatros and Tiatrists. It is these sinful Tiatrists who are creating a bad image of Tiatros and Tiatrists. 

Saib Rocha was boycotted by the decent Tiatrists for keeping a concubine and then the image of Tiatrists was brightened.  Saib Rocha was such a mighty tiatro figure once, finally died a poor death in the Provedoria Azilo, unsung and unknown.  In the same manner all the bad character tiatrists should also be boycotted by the decent directors and tiatrists.  By the way, how many morally upright directors are existing now? I was told that almost every second or third director is keeping a concubine from his own troupe either by deserting his own wife or by harassing his wife.  One such persecuted wife already confided in me of her agony.

In order to create a good image of Tiatrists we must boycott the Tiatrists living an immoral life otherwise they will create a bad image even of the morally upright Tiatrists, as it happened in the past.

One of the reasons for the Portuguese government in Goa to apply censorship for Tiators was to check the vulgarity and indecency displayed on the Stage by the Vulgar, indecent and morally bankrupt tiatrists.  If vulgarity is to sop in Tiatros then Censorship will automatically come in.

 

A. Veronica Fernandes,

Candolim, Goa.

Tel:7507394349.

SAVE TIRACOL - SAVE GOA MEET.

SAVE TIRACOL - SAVE GOA.

 

 

Panjim Church

 

Under the banner of “SAVE GOA – SAVE TIRACOL”, a public meeting was held today in Panjim, at 10.30 AM, in front of the Panjim Church, organized by some youth who came forward to keep the momentum of the Tiracol campaign moving by awakening Goans on this issue. Some of the prominent faces seen on the forefront as organiers of this meet were Fr. Bismarque, Zico, Sudeep, Eliath and D. Pinto. Among the politicians seen there prominently were Reginald Lawrence of Congress and Swati of AAP.  Ironically, there was none from Tiracol especially from among those who spoke at Tiracol Meet. Neither, there was none from the Tiatrists circle though they are very much concerned of this issue.

 

Singing & playing music

 

Though small in number yet those who attended this meet did not care for the rains which at moment were very heavy. This type of meeting I see first time in Goa in the sense that it was a musical meeting where songs like Manddos, Dulpods, Dekhnis and other popular Konkani songs were rendered by the organisers with the accompaniment of music as seen in the pictures.  The attendees too participated in the singing thereby the whole event looked lively. In between the songs there were short speeches by the organisers. 

 

Seen Zico singing

 

The whole show lasting about 2 hours attracted lot of attention from the passersby as well who even by stopping their vehicles, two and four wheelers focused their attention on this meet and got acquainted themselves with the Tiracol issue and how the non-Goans there trying to usurp Goan land by force. 

Sudeep seen at right

Thru this musical meet once again Goans attending this meet, however small in number they may be, proved how important this Tiracol issue is for them. Tiracol issue is not of the people of Tiracol only, it is an issue of all Goans also.  Though most of the heavyweights of Tiracol Meet were missing yet in their absence nothing looked low.  Next time while organizing such meetings, appropriate publicity must be made so that every Goan is aware of what is going on below his nose.

                                                        Attendees also seen singing.

Though he was not present for this meet today neither at Tiracol last time, Claude Alvares must be complimented for firing a salvo on this issue. His awakening on this Tiracol issue has helped Goans like me to be sensitive of this issue.

A.Veronica Fernandes,

Candolim, Goa.

Tel:7507394349.